Loving Me For Me
by Buttercupxbabe
Summary: Three years after rebuilding their planet, the starlights invite the sailor scouts to their home. What happens when old friends reunite and new passions ignite? Fights, secrets, and love all merge in this tale of new beginnings.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own sailor moon or any of its content, these chapters are for the sole intent of entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Please do not copy or reproduce any part of my story! Sailor Moon is the product of Bandai, Toei, and Naoko Takeuchi.**_

 ** _My favorite characters of sailor moon were always the three starlights, therefor this is mainly a story about their lives. If Seiya and Yaten are not a pairing you favor, then this may not be your cup of tea. If you like please comment, I welcome any criticism. Be warned that this is my first fanfiction and this story is not completed, I just hated having it in my computer without letting others enjoy it. I hope you have fun reading it as much fun as I had writing it! Perhaps I'll be able to finish it, if enough people want me to. ENJOY folks! :)_**

 ** _Sorry if any of my grammar is off._**

 ** _* This indicate a change of scene_**

 _ **Chapter 1: Meetings**_

 _It had been three years since the restoration of Kinmoku and under the rule of Princess Kakyuu the Tankie Kingdom was flourishing. As a new body of government though, Kinmoku was considered by many to be in fragile state. This is why the princess and her counsel continuously held mandatory meetings to regulate new policies. As part of her counsel the Kinmoku starlight guardians were required to be in attendance as well…_

 _Tap, tap, tap…"_ will you please STOP that Healer!" An exasperated Sailor Star Maker gave her comrade a stern look. Sailor Star Healer immediately ceased any further movement of her foot on the marble floor that made up the Grand Kinmokusie Throne room. Healer exhaled loudly enough to let Maker know that whatever little patience she had remaining was about to run out.

"How much longer till they're finished Maker?"

"Approximately a half hour, more or less, but please stop fidgeting Healer it's not going to make the process any faster."

 _Ughh this is like torture! I don't understand why we even need to attend any of these assemblies. It's not like we're needed for any of it, us being here won't change the outcome of any issues discussed. So how Maker can sit here for three damn hours and act like she gives a shit is beyond me. I mean to some extent I understand that this is all important. Don't get me wrong, I want to see Kinmoku back to its former glory; HELL I risked my life to see it happen again. Nevertheless I'm not a political expert. So my role being here is completely and utterly useless._

"Maker where is Fighter? Shouldn't she be here by now?" Healer looked around the spacious room, seeing no signs of the raven haired senshi. "I don't know Healer, but knowing her she's probable still sleeping, the princess will reprimand her later I'm sure." Maker didn't even bother to search for their leader knowing full well Fighter had a tendency to get easily distracted when it came to fulfilling tedious assignments.

"How is that at all fair Maker? Don't the rules apply to each and every one of us, why does Fighter think she's the exception." Healer knew her complaint fell on deaf ears, but she couldn't help but express her disdain for her leaders' lack of obedience. "I'm going to kick her ass the minute I see her."

Rays of sunshine seeped through red velvet curtains onto a sound sleeping Seiya. That is until the consistent chirping of birds outside her balcony awaken her, soon she felt herself leaving her dream world…one that was occupied occasionally by a certain odango hair princess.

Although time had passed and Fighter had become accustom to the daily routine of senshi duty, her unconscious mind would bring her back to the cherished time spent on the blue planet called earth. Despite recovering their precious princess and returning back home as they had promised each other, Seiya felt a persisting void in her.

Sailor Moon, NO actually, Usagi had touched her heart in a way that no one had ever done before. The relationship she had built with Usagi left a lasting impression on her, reinforcing every bit of faith and hope Seiya had in the world. Yet most importantly she had taught Seiya that winning wasn't everything, sometimes one needed to bow out and lose gracefully. Seiya had done exactly that, leaving the moon goddess in the hands of her prince charming.

Although time did not necessarily heal all her wounds, it did bring happiness back into Seiya's life. Yet still occasionally, a feeling of loneliness and emptiness inside would consume her whole body and threaten everything she'd work so hard to achieve.

 _It's been such a long time Usagi, three years to be exact, but I can still dream about you time and time again. Lingering memories of your smile and laughter remain with me._ _CHIRP_ … _Odango I miss you deeply,_ _CHIRP_ … _I can still feel your shining light, full of warmth. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP….._

"WHAT THE HELL?" Pools of deep blue opened to the scenery of her bedroom. It took a couple of second for Seiya to regain full consciousness. "Crap what time is it? "

The fact that the sunlight was beaming into her bedroom gave Seiya the suspicion that she might have overslept well past the time she was obligated to be with her fellow senshi. Searching her bedside table for her watch and noticing that it read 12:08pm she exhaled deeply. "Damn it!" Yaten and Taiki are going to be so pissed. Oh well they'd have to deal with it. Seiya left the comfort of her bed and walked into her bathroom to shower and henshied.

Sailor Star Fighter then exited her room and quickly made her way toward the palace's throne room. If anything she'd only need to speak with Princess Kakyuu to excuse her tardiness, at least that's what she'd hope.

"Finally, another minute and I could have died from boredom!" Healer rose to her feet and made her way towards Kakyuu with Maker alongside her. "Princess! "

"Healer, Maker I'm glad to see both of you in attendance." Both Maker and Healer acknowledge their princess with bows. "I'd hoped to see you because I actually have some surprising news for you both. However, I'd wish your lovely leader were here as well. May I ask exactly where my dear friend is at the moment?" Kakyuu curiously asked her starlights.

"Umm, we don't presently know, but I can promise you we'll update her of your news as soon as we see her." Maker said with every ounce of affirmation for her princess. "Well I really was looking forward to telling you three at once, so I guess the news can wait till dinner time. Until then I still have some business to attend to with some diplomats, but please find Fighter and let her known I've missed her presence."

"Yes Princess!" Kakyuu smiled and began to head toward the crowd of ambassadors. "Um…Kakyuu-hime is everything okay, I mean this isn't anything we need to worry about right?" Healer asked with a hint of concern in her voice. "Of course not Healer, everything is just fine, I'll see you later." Kakyuu's reassurance put Healer at ease and with that both Healer and Maker made their way down the corridor.

"What do you think it could possibly be?" Healer was never fond of surprises, not even the good ones. Maker, although intrigued had no insight into what Kakyuu-hime had planned. "I can't momentarily think of anything, but whatever it may be it involves all three of us. We should just leave it alone for now anyways. I'm scheduled for some time out in the training field. Perhaps you should go searching for Fighter and inform her of Kakyuu request." Maker gave her ally a smile and turned to leave in the opposite direction.

"Sure, whatever I'll see you later."

Healer had caught a glimpse of how beautiful the day was and she wasn't going to waste it in searching for her ex-idol friend. Instead she thought perhaps she could take her free time to go into the Kinmokusie gardens to relax her mind. After spending all morning in that meeting, there wasn't anything she'd rather do. Right as Healer made her way out, a certain familiar face wondered into her sight.

Healer put on a cheeky smile to greet her ally "Someone must have not taught you how to tell time properly, that or you must have missed that lesson as well; which, if that's the case your shit out of luck."

Fighter jeered at her friend "Ha-ha better late than never."

Healer could only roll her eyes "Being here three hours late doesn't make up for anything. Kakyuu-hime notice you weren't here and she wants to have dinner with us all tonight, apparently she has some important news to tell us. Make sure your there, I'm sick of having to be the one on top of you all the time."

Fighter raised an eyebrow "Really? I thought you loved being on top." Healer weakly punch Fighter in the chest "SHUT UP Fighter, your so irritating!" Fighter smile even wider, she grab Healers arm and started pinching her. "AWW NO FIGHTER! STOP! LET GOOO!"

"You shouldn't have started with me! Now stop yelling people are staring!" Healer didn't care, she was too busy struggling to free herself from Fighters strong grip, after a good ten seconds Fighter finally let her go. "Ugh, I think I just broke a nail, thanks a lot!" Healer waved her middle finger in Fighters face. Fighter just laughed "You're such a babybitch!"

Healer stumbled backwards until she knew she had a good safe distance to walk away. All the while Fighter just watched her leave with a seemingly satisfied smile on her face.

While walking outside Healer notice the slight drop of temperature indicating the beginning of a fall season for all those living in the Tankie kingdom. With the olive tree leafs cascading down upon them, the palace gave a radiant and lively atmosphere. Healer made her way in a dream like daze to her favorite spot, a gazebo that she'd come to love since childhood. It stood next to a lake which Seiya, Taiki, and herself had spent almost every summer swimming in. The memories that flooded her mind made her feel nostalgic; she felt at a loss because as adults they barely had time to indulge in such pleasures. Being here made her realize how much she treasured the time they all spend together and how she long to have more memories made. In that particular moment Seiya's charming face clouded her mind and she couldn't help but grin.

Fighter could be such a child sometimes; she felt happiness for her friend because after such a long time she finally saw glimpses of the old Fighter coming back to her. The relationship they had during their mission on earth had been polarizing and almost damaging. The truth was that before earth Fighter and Healer were extremely close, they grew up together, fought alongside each other. They had never let anyone come between any of them, if anyone dared to make fun of Healer or hurt her in any way, Fighter had always stood up for her. She was their leader; Fighter had always been the fearless one. Earth was something different altogether, in a place where they could solely rely on just each other, they had never been so far apart. She was glad that was all in the past and that they had somehow managed to recover some of what they had lost. In Healer's eyes the future seemed bright and promising for them.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: Dinner Escorts**_

After spending the majority of her afternoon outdoors Healer finally decided to retrieve back to her bedroom. Once in her room she de-henshied to her female form as Yaten. The reality was that she could just as easily become the male version of herself. It was a distinct advantage in their world to be of both genders, an ability that was granted to not just the senshi but the remainder of the population on Kinmoku.

Secretly it had helped shield their starlight identity and given them enough exposure as the three lights to send their message to their beloved princess. During her stay on earth, Yaten had pitied human beings. How could they possibly be comfortable enough to lead lives without the benefit of choosing a body that connected to their true souls?

In Yaten's case she'd personally never cared to sustain a male body, it was part of the reason why earth was such hell for her. The whole façade of being a male idol had been a daunting task from the very beginning. Anyone who truly knew Yaten could clearly see she was purely all feminine. Yaten despised carrying anything heavier than chopsticks; getting hit in the face was another huge offense for her.

As oppose to someone like Seiya whose carefree spirit held no boundaries. As a women Seiya was beautiful and elegant, and as a male dashing and handsome. Seiya's attractiveness came in every form, it was almost unfair to anyone who meets him or her, and for Yaten it was almost dangerous.

As dusk settled she spent the remainder of her time trying different outfits on. It was all practice for Yaten, who had perfected her pristine look at an early age. She wore an off one shoulder beige polyester long sleeve shirt, skinny jeans, and brown boots. She decided to let down her silk like hair for the evening. Before she could complement her face with some makeup, a trivial past time which she quite enjoyed, a knock on her bedroom door interrupted her.

Knock, knock, knock. "I'm coming." KNOCK KNOCK. "I said I'm COMING!" Yaten irritable open the door. "What took you so long?" A casual looking Seiya stood at her doorway with a gleaming smile on her face, for a flicker of a second it dazed Yaten.

"Uh! Did you get lost or something, can I help you find your way back?"

Seiya chuckled "No I came to see you, thought we could walk to dinner together." Yaten raised her eyebrow almost in disbelief "Thanks but I'm a big girl I don't need an escort anywhere." Seiya's face faltered "I'm being nice to you, but I can see you're still ticked off about earlier." Turning sideways she muttered to herself "Babybitches can be so stubborn."

She should have been insulted but all she could do was smirk and laugh. She then gave in "Fine, we'll go but don't call me that anymore! I'm not done getting ready so you're going to have wait here" - "Wait here?! You take forever, just let me sit inside!" Seiya argued. Yaten looked towards the inside of the room and saw massive amounts of clothes spread throughout her bedding, not to mention her floor. "It's messy."

"So?" A mischievous light dance in Seiya's eyes and Yaten was almost too hesitant to let her in.

Once inside Seiya muse all her surroundings "Seriously? I hope you tip your maid." Yaten innocently shrugged "I have a lot of things."

She walked to her vanity and started applying a light shade of pink lipstick. Seiya took a seat on one of the upholstered armchairs by the balcony glass doors, she quietly observed her silver hair companion paint her face. Doing so, an odd sense of déjà vu took over.

 _She had done this in the past; she had a clear memory of an eight year old Yaten playing with makeup. Seiya had made fun of her for putting so much blush on her cheeks that it made her look like a clown. The thought put a faint smile on her face. Some things never change, in her opinion Yaten didn't need the makeup, she had a pretty face without it._

"What's so funny?" Green eyes meet deep blue ones through the mirror, catching her off guard "Nothing." Yaten dabbed some mascara on her eyelashes, and then sprayed herself with one of her favorite scents. Its familiarity sparked Seiya's curiosity "What is that?" As if it was the most obvious thing Yaten replied with a hint of irritation "Coco Chanel."

"That's not from here!" Unaware of the questioning look her friend was shooting her, Yaten simply gave herself a once over look in the mirror till she felt content with her appearance. Then finally she spoke "No it's not, I took from earth."

Turning around and looking at her friend's wistful face she suddenly regretted saying anything. Earth was a subject she generally avoided, it was just always uncomfortable for any of them to bring back the past. It meant dealing with emotions that overwhelm them entirely. "Sorry."

Seiya's expression became hard "Don't be, I don't care. It's not a big deal!"

For a minute the room filled with tension and Yaten was too intimidated to say anything. Gazing at her friend Seiya quickly realized she'd been too sharp with her tone, she then stood and closed the gap between them. Touching softly a speck off of Yaten cheek she whispered "There, you look good. Let's go."

A serene silence fell upon them as they made their way outside through the palace's corridors. The only sound one could hear was the clicking of their shoes on the marble floor.

Seiya wasn't sure if Yaten could make out the rapid beating of her heart as well. She couldn't explain why the mention of earth agitated her so much. Or why an unsettling feeling consumed her whenever she was this close to Yaten.

It had started out subtly, a desire to be in her company, teasing her, provoking her. Maybe it was just a game, but these were things she would never admit out loud. She'd like to think she had a good poker face, but Seiya found herself flustered at times. This was such an odd sense for her because she was always so sure of herself. Not to mention she known Yaten for practically all her life, so any uneasiness was almost absurd. To her Yaten had always been a friend, and to now have these emotions emerge seemed so strange.

She shot a glance at her shorter ally, a secret smile playing on her lips. She slightly nudged her. "Hey I didn't mean to snap at you back there." Yaten's eyes narrowed "I wouldn't be worried about that if I was you." She paused before continuing "I'd be more concern about what Kakyuu-hime will say to you tonight. Maybe she'll demote you." Yaten wickedly grinned at the thought.

"So you could be charge?! Yelling out orders and having me do everything you want. You would love that wouldn't you?" A dark smirk graced her features and she suddenly stopped to stare at her partner.

"Trust me you'd love it too." Yaten answered barely above a whisper.

One look at the sinful sparkle in her ally's eyes and Seiya couldn't help but secretly agree.

Outside a starry night had blanketed the Tankie palace. Kinmoku's stars and dimly lit candles illuminated a splendid terrace where princess Kakyuu and her guardians shared occasional nightly dinners.

Taiki was the first to arrive, as usual. A table was set with a crystal vase full of lilac roses as a centerpiece and fine china for their catered meal. Taiki patiently waited, being quite fond of what little calming quiet he could savor for the night. He knew once his companions arrived jeering and chattiness would shortly follow, although he quite enjoyed that as well. Seiya and Yaten's quarrels were if anything, at the most entertaining.

As of lately though Taiki notice a change in his silver hair friend, he was no empath but he certainly had good perception. He'd known his friends long enough to catch subtle differences in their behaviors. Yaten at times seemed disconnected, as if she was caught up in her mind, dazed fleetingly. He wasn't quite sure what was causing it but he knew something was up, yet for the time being he decided against saying anything.

Violet eyes caught two silhouettes emerging from inside the palace onto the terrace stairs. On approach both women greeted their comrade with warm smiles _._

"Wow, its nice and warm out here." Yaten mentioned as she shifted her chair in comfortably. "I'm starving what are we having?" Seiya reached for one of the hot bread rolls on the table.

"I don't know. I thought we'd wait for Kakyuu to arrive. But go ahead have the whole damn basket if you'd like, it's not like the rest of us want any." Taiki said sarcastically. "Don't mind if I do. Can you grab me some butter?" Seiya pointedly asked him. Taiki threw several wrapped cubed butters across the table.

"Really Taiki? Why put them on the table if no one's supposed to eat them?!" She questioned with an annoyed glance his way. "That's _not_ the point." Taiki countered.

"What is the point?" Kakyuu inquisitively asked, making her appearance known, all the while taking a seat at the head of the table. Taiki replied "The point is Seiya obviously needs an etiquette class to teach her some table manners along with punctuality."

"I knew it! I knew you'd have something to say about this morning. I'm sorry I overslept but I don't think it's at all necessary for everyone to constantly give me shit for something that more than likely won't happen again." An exasperated Seiya cried out in defense. Yaten turned to look at her princess expectantly, knowing she would either excuse Seiya's behavior, because let's face it she was her favorite. Or she'd reprimand her actions to show no favorability, which often times she choose to be fair.

"I don't care if you eat without me, I do however care for the lack of commitment when it comes to your senshi duties. This isn't the first time you've miss an assembly, fail to attend another and I'll have you on night guard duty for a whole week. Is that understood?"

"Fine." Seiya shrugged her shoulder indifferently. She didn't want to be disrespectful, but she didn't think the issue would be taken that seriously.

Kakyuu on the other hand hated having to be so stern with her guardians, particularly Seiya because she always had a soft spot for her, but as a princess she didn't want to be ineffective. It was a difficult position to be their leader as well as an intimate friend. That's why she'd hope the next piece of news would lighten the atmosphere and bring them a little bit of delight.

"I especially want this upcoming week to be perfect, I want everything to go smoothly. We'll be hosting some very special guest in the palace. Kinmoku has prospered greatly in such a short period of time. With our three year anniversary celebration I saw it only appropriate to extend an invitation to the sailor senshi's of earth to show our gratitude. They've accepted and they'll be staying with us for a short period." Kakyuu announcement left her short of breath and it was only now that she realized the weight barring stress it had caused her keeping it a secret.

Whatever excitement princess Kakyuu had anticipated was drowned out by a deafening silence. All she could see was a mixture of shock, confusion, and bewilderment on the faces of her guardians.

Yaten specifically wasn't just stunned, she was utterly dumbfounded. _How could this possible be happening?_ She felt absolutely betrayed. Her princess had clearly stated this was nothing to worry about. She had been _WRONG_ , everything would _not_ be fine!


End file.
